1.

These are just openings

To the static world tearful

Open eyes gauging

Movement as hell

As purgatory surrounding

Open eyes closed

Can’t not see the stillest

Movement that’s cursed

To never stop to

Never not be

Dirty mirror is an

Opening to cloudy

Eyes to show me how

To say yes and when

To say no but never

Move out of place

Out of socket or

You will lose your

Spot in the race

Cry of smoke and gun

And go now like

Cattle but remember

To stop or you will

Fail but never fall

Or be forever

In this pit this

Opening to the

Right to the molten

Fear of the world.

To lie is to say

no to fear

2.

Form another country

Sharper than nails

Sharper than cliffs and

Pain in your throat

Cutthroat rules

Or ruler or man

But not new

New life is bad

But push it anyway

To be the best

Be the cruelest

Be new and sharp

And clean, sheared

Wool and shaven

Duty to yourself

And family to be

Better than them

Spit on them and

Dry tears with

Money because

Who cares about

That, be better than

Yourself in competition

With your soul to

Quench it and be what

We want you to think

You want to be conviving

And bloody and smiling

With victory in your teeth

Bury yourself with riches

Because nothing is worse

Than dying alone because

Who is there to see

You fail at betterness

Bitter to be worse

To be nothing be everything

Be more than you be

Dominant be cool

Be vicious.

Aren’t you the one?

Never be anyone

Else be everything be more

3.

I’ll call you open

Mouthed rotting teeth

When it’s time

There’s a tear

In the fabric don’t

Get caught get strong

Get better but pay

To be woven

Into dirt, flesh,

Concrete all things

All walls that bind

Worms and organs

And trash and misery

So lonely in confines

So longing for a

Companion on tv

That has shinier teeth

Than you ever did

Go play outside but

Don’t get wet and don’t

Get dirty or punishment

Will follow you in eyes

That are open seen

Awful things while

They glow blue and amber

And green sickly and

Hungry and out for

What’s underneath

That lovely shield

They swear to

Call by your name

But where is promise kept

In paper but where is

paper in dirt.

Burnt leaves and ribs

And charred trees

Open wound on

Earth on ground

On concrete bandage there’s

Black gum and torn

Rubber from old tires

And death beneath it all

4.

I woke up in the mud

I woke up today after

An eternity of suffering

Of punishment so easy

To make mistakes to be

Mistaken for worthiness

There’s none of that

In you there’s life as

White fingers pray and

Leaf through chance and

let you breathe another day

Be more today or regret

Will haunt you the ghosts will

Be at your wake don’t

Forget to rsvp or you will

Regret it and they will

Mourn you will scorn you

And burn your stapled

Gasping chest that

Only wanted to hold

Your heart that wills

Deep like the sea

Drown in ambition

Or let the heart

Destroy you we told

You not to listen to

Listen to your heart

Listen to us we know

What the heart wants.

Sacred dirt covers open

Eyes never closing once

They’re like that

Watch the funeral-goers

Cry with their eyes

Closed its a closed casket

And they can’t see whether

They left your eyes open or not

But either way, She will

Take you back and no

Repentance is needed to

Be a child Her child

That strayed so far and kicked

At her shins.